A self-described "loyal guy," Ahmed Hassanein practices what he preaches. After the Lions waived him with an injury settlement at the end of training camp with the intention of bringing him back once he got healthy, Hassanein said that every other NFL team called about adding him to their practice squad.
Hassanein told his agent: "I'm not going anywhere."
The Lions followed through and re-signed Hassanein to their practice squad this week. He was all smiles after returning to practice on Wednesday.
"This team picked me for a reason and I truly feel like this is the best team for me," Hassanein said. "This team means everything to me because when somebody picks me, I’m a loyal guy, man, I stick with them and I don’t want to leave. I was taking to my agent and he was telling me, like, 'Yeah, all 31 called and were asking about you,' and I’m like, 'Man, I am not going anywhere. I am staying here, because this is where I want to be and this team believes in me and I love them. I’m not going anywhere.'"
Part of Hassanein's league-wide appeal is that he doesn't count against a team's practice squad allotment of 17 players. Having spent most of his youth in Egypt before moving to America at the age of 16, Hassanein qualifies for a practice squad roster exemption through the NFL's International Pathway Program.
The other part of his appeal is that he had 22 sacks and 32 tackles for loss and was one of the top-graded pass-rushers in the country over his final two seasons at Boise State. That's what compelled the Lions to draft him in the sixth round this year, which is what compelled Hassanein to stick with them when the rest of the league was calling.
He had to wait an extra three weeks to re-sign with the Lions due to his injury settlement after getting physically cleared in Week 7. But again, for Hassanein, that was never in question.
"The last couple weeks I was like, I can’t wait to go back," he said. "I want to experience these wins with them, I want to be in the locker room when coach talks, I just want that. I’m grateful to come back here and to just give it all I’ve got again."
It remains to be seen what sort of role Hassanein can carve out for himself down the stretch. The Lions are 6-3 and fourth in the NFL in sacks, but you can never have enough pass-rushers. Hassanein said he'll "do whatever it takes to help this team win," even if that's simply going all-out on scout team for the rest of the season. He has little doubt where they're headed.
"Man, this is a Super Bowl team," he said. "This team, I truly believe they’re going to win the Super Bowl. It’s a competitive, competitive roster."
For Hassanein, just to be back on the field is "a blessing."
"To be able to practice again, to be able to strike a sled, just to be moving again and to have teammates and to see them doing the same thing, I’m like, 'Oh, I want to get better at this, I want to do that move now,'" he said. "This means everything to me and I’m never, ever going to take it for granted again. You don’t lose hunger of the game, but anything that gets stripped away from you and now you have it (back), it’s like, man, I’m going to attack every single day like it’s my last day so I can give it all I’ve got."
The night the Lions drafted him, Hassanein told Dan Campbell through tears that "I will die for you, Coach." That's how much it meant to him that the Lions gave him a shot. No surprise, then, that when the rest of the NFL wanted him, Hassanein didn't think twice about staying put.
"These people believe in me and I’m going to give it all I’ve got," Hassanein said, "because loyalty is a big thing for me."